Colla IV
by Lynn Jones
Summary: Colla IV is home to the Collicoids, their Droid Nest, droidekas, and a new - even deadlier - droid menace. Can a Jedi, a Padawan, and a group of clones to get rid of this new threat. And as if that weren't bad enough, a Sith has come to visit. on hiatus
1. Chapter 1

We-elll, obviously, little old me owns no SWCW characters – though I would like to lay claim to Leilani, at least.

Leilani Odelia, Padawan to Jedi Master Yaddle, Commander in the Grand Army of the Republic, was not having fun. She was crouched beside her clone captain, Scratch, which wasn't so bad. No, the really horrible thing was what they were watching.

_There aren't many B1s here, and no B2s, spider droids, or Octuparas at all. There's a Droideka on every corner – no surprise there; the Collicoids make the kriffing things – and there's that weird mantis-looking droid,_ she thought, attention on the cold durasteel factory before her. _Scratch? What do you think?_ She had a habit of asking questions like that in her mind – and then giving them a teensy Force nudge.

_Either that mantis is a whole lot worse that it looks, or we're here on bad intell,_ the Captain speculated.

"Enjoying the view of our target, Commander?" hissed a familiar voice behind her. Leilani tilted her head, feeling her scout's Force presence. He was worried – about the droids, probably. The scout – nicknamed Hiss – slipped into the thicket of native undergrowth that hid Leilani and Scratch from sight. Leilani narrowed her eyes as she peered through the leaves, hoping they wouldn't give her a horrible, itchy rash like the one she'd hidden in on their last recon mission had. At least this vantage point was dry, unlike the rash-giving one. The huge, unforgiving factory dominated the clearing it rested in and loomed over the surrounding marshy forest.

"Points of entry?" she asked.

"Bay door on the west side where they've been unloading parts for their killer droids," Hiss answered immediately. He continued before Leilani could tell him even she could see that. "Ventalation and cooling shafts look like a tight fit, but they could work if we go in minus armor."

"No way. You guys aren't leaving your armor behind. Even with it, those new guys Master Yaddle sent with us to reinforce Master Kenobi will be shredded if we don't work fast and plan right." Scratch shook his head at the Padawan's words.

"Well, there are a few side doors the Collicoids use. Static could probably get us in those," Hiss offered.

"Sounds like our best bet. Let's get back to Master Kenobi," Leilani decided. Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't her Master, but he was stationed with her on Colla Four while Yaddle tidied up on Barab One. Leilani had been sent ahead with Hiss and a few squads as reinforcements and to scope out the situation before the old Jedi arrived.

Leilani shifted cautiously, preparing to make her way with Scratch and Hiss back to Swoop, waiting with their gunship. She froze. Something immense, ugly, and _evil_ reared its head. The Force twisted painfully. She gasped.

"Commander?" Scratch whispered. Hiss scanned their surroundings for threats, but found nothing. She tried to leap to her feet but stumbled. The captain reached out and steadied her.

"I'm fine. Let's hurry," she muttered. The twisting intensified. A shuttle streaked through the sky overhead, on course for the Seperatist landing field on the other side of the factory. Her comlink bleeped softly as another wave of dark energy washed over her. Grimly, she turned away, shoving the Force disturbance to the back of her mind and activating her comlink.

"Padawan Odelia, do you have any idea what is going on out there?" demanded Obi-Wan Kenobi's semi-familiar voice.

"No, Master, but we're headed back with what we've got. We can always come back, right? It's not like even the Collicoids can move a factory."

"Right. Return to base camp immediately. That disturbance I'm sure you felt means someone strong in the dark side is here."

"I saw a shuttle land a minute ago."

"Get back here right away." She could hear the worry in his voice.

"As if this day couldn't get any better," the Padawan muttered.

"Let's get out of here, before Swoop comes looking for us," Scratch urged.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here we are again! Another chapter! Bet some of you have guessed that the mysterious "mantis-looking droid" from chapter one is a Collicoid Annihilator. It is, as Leilani will unfortunately find out quite soon – but not for another chapter or two, I think. Anyway, obviously I haven't purchased the SWCW characters since I last updated, so I still don't own them.

Leilani approached Master Kenobi's command post, flanked by Scratch and Hiss and trailed by their pilot, Swoop. The tall, slim Jedi glanced up when they reached him.

"You scouted the factory?" he asked. Leilani hesitated.

"The area around it, yes. We'll have to go back for and interior run – if we can't just blow the whole thing up," she added thoughtfully.

_Blowing it up would make Fireball, Bang, and Clap happy, _she commented to Scratch through the Force.

_And Static will complain about imagined signal interference from the blast,_ her Captain agreed.

"And you found…?" Kenobi prompted.

"Not as many Trade Federation droids as we thought there would be, but there were some nasty-looking black droids on four legs with an almost mantis-inspired torso and arm design," the Padawan reported. She would leave the tedious entry and layout reports for Hiss to make to Kenobi's Commander once this little conference was done.

"Mantis, you say? That's not good. Something that just might fit your description was reported on our eastern flank about half an hour ago," he murmured. Suddenly, a clone consciousness flared in the Force. Leilanin turned to meet the approaching, worried – no, make that _terrified_ – gaze of an orange-armored Commander.

"Cody? What's wrong?" she asked, recognizing him. He spared her a short nod – not answering her question – before he saluted the General.

"Sir, we have a problem on the east flank," Cody announced without preamble.

"What is it now?" Kenobi asked tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Actually, we don't know what it was, sir, but it took out three platoons. The fourth is fighting it as we speak," Cody reported grimly. Shock flooded the Force from Kenobi, Hiss, Scratch, and Swoop.

_Well, at least one of the platoons out east survived the initial assault,_ Leilani thought, trying to keep her panic at bay. Three whole platoons! They couldn't afford to lose that many! _And I had friends on the east flank,_ she realized. _Kenobi's Roll, for one. The shiny got himself killed. He was a pilot, not a trooper!_ She knew the new pilot – who had arrived only a few days before – was dead as surely as she knew her own name. She couldn't feel even a ghost of his mind in the Force anymore, even when she stretched as far as she could, well past the boundaries of the base camp.

"We have to take out that factory _now_," Scratch muttered.

"What? Why? We should be reinforcing our eastern flank," Kenobi snapped.

"Yes, that first, but that factory is what is making these mantises," Leilani answered with a calm she didn't feel. Something stirred in the Force, then jerked painfully. Death. "It's moved to the west flank. Clones are dying," she said out loud.

"Let's go, then," Kenobi replied. The clones donned their helmets and double-checked their blasters as they ran to keep up with the Force-aided Jedi. When they reached the battle, Kenobi and Cody stopped on a slight rise to assess the situation. Leilani signaled to Scratch, then thumbed the activation switch on her lightsaber hilt. The turquoise blade hummed comfortingly in her grip as she descended to the battle. Where was this enemy that slaughtered her troops like this? She couldn't –

Laserfire ripped through a cluster of troopers to her left. The huge black droid reared above them, its cannon arms spitting crimson fire. She brought her lightsaber up as she leaped over the targeted clones and found herself face-to-knee-joint with the metal monster. Leilani flipped forward, slashing just below that same joint. Instead of slicing cleanly through, her blade caught and began to slowly burn its way through the dense circuitry. One of the cannon arms jabbed down at her and spat lazerfire. She leaped away, using the Force to yank the lightsaber after her, out of the droid's leg.

"Are you all right, Commander?" Scratch asked. She rolled to her feet beside him, weapon in hand. Her Captain, scout, and pilot (who, unlike the unfortunate Roll, knew which end of a blaster was which) had arrived.

"I'm fine, Scratch, but those droids have armor so thick my lightsaber's not cutting through very well."

"Try hitting the joint itself," the captain suggested. She shook her head.

"Too close to the cannons. I need cover fire."

"We're getting slaughtered!" cried one of the troopers nearby – Web, one of Kenobi's snipers.

"Pull back!" Cody ordered a few hundred meters back. "draw it in, then close around it!" The troops started to obey, but the droid was too fast, cutting down groups of clones before they could move.

"We've got to do something fast," Scratch urged.

"Then get some of your brothers and cover me," Leilani ordered. Then she ran toward the droid again. This time, she leaped for the joint of its closest leg. It skittered away from her on three legs, still firing. Its cannons turned to her. Laserfire lanced into its back, then its cannon, and it swiveled away from her.

_Good. It worked,_ she thought as she darted underneath it to slash another joint. The metal monster fell, nearly flattening her as she rolled away, and _kept shooting._

"Take its arms off!" Kenobi called, his blue lightsaber severing the thin connection between the torso and one of the arms. Leilani scrambled to her feet and brought her weapon down on the remaining cannon joint. It stopped firing.

"Wonder what useful info you have in your ugly processor," she muttered. She searched the Force for two particular presences.

_Static, Download,_ she called. Her communications officer and Kenobi's decryption specialist made their way over to the droid's carcass.

"Find something for us, Padawan Odelia?" Static asked. She nodded, grinning.

"I was just thinking that this hunk of Collicoid nastiness might have some useful info in its metal head," she replied, kicking halfheartedly at the torso/head section. Download hopped up onto the droid's laser-pitted body and surveyed the dome.

"We'll have some fun with this one," the clone assured the Padawan. Static, still on the ground, grunted noncommittally. He was not an exuberant clone by any standards, but he didn't get in the way, he was just _there_ whenever he was needed. And if he wasn't needed, well, he wasn't there.

"Good luck – and bring the memory bank back to base camp to tinker with; don't stay out here," Leilani advised. Both clones saluted. She leaped down and landed beside Kenobi.

"Good job," he congratulated her gruffly.

"Where are Scratch and the others?" she asked. Kenobi hesitated. She searched the Force, but couldn't find her Captain right away. When she did, her blood ran cold. Their presences were so faint that she couldn't tell where they were. "I can't find them in the Force, Master."

"They might be injured. Have you checked the battlefield hospital they've set up?" Kenobi asked. Leilani had to count to thirty – slowly – to keep her sharp comment and incredulous expression from bursting out.

"I haven't had time, Master Kenobi," she stated calmly after a moment. He blinked at her.

"Of course not," he muttered.

"May I go search for them, Master?" Leilani asked.

"of course," he repeated. She bowed briefly, then cast her consciousness out into the Force, searching for Scratch's familiar presence. It fluttered on the edge of her Force awareness.

_Scratch,_ she called, hoping he would hear her so she could find him more easily. He didn't. _Scratch!_ He was either very distracted or unconscious. The Padawan didn't want to think about what would distract her captain so much that he wouldn't notice/respond to her Force call.

Leilani closed her eyes and immersed herself in the Force, clinging to the feel of Scratch in her mind. Near his presence she could sense Swoop, too faint to contact, and one of his fellow pilots, Funnel.

_Funnel!_ The clone's mind flared in surprise.

_What the kriffing heck is going on? I'm not crazy, I swear I'm not!_ He yelped. Leilani mentally smacked her own forehead. She'd never Force-called Funnel before; he didn't understand what was going on.

_Hey, Funnel, easy. It's just me, Leilani. Is Scratch with you?_ She asked.

_Yeah, but – _

_Good. Where are you?_

_The field hospital, but – _

Leilani retreated from the contact and struck off for the presence of many wounded clones a few hundred meters away, firmly keeping the uneasy feeling she had from leaving the back of her mind. Scratch would be all right; he had to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, chapter 3 now up (obviously). Now we get to find out what happened to Scratch, and how Leilani fixes it. Also, there will be some foolish actions on the part of Master Kenobi.

Disclaimer: Fireball blew it up.

The field hospital was a glorified patch of ground covered with a mass of severely injured clone troopers, tended by lee-injured clone troopers and the few medical droids they had on the planet.

Some troopers she didn't know and several of the 305th that had come with Leilani to Colla IV were clustered around a few clones that lay prone on the ground. None of them wore helmets.

"Funnel, Hiss, what's the situation?" Leilani asked, kneeling beside the four wounded and unconscious soldiers.

"Scratch is down; so are Swoop and Blaze, and Jet from Kenobi's unit," Hiss reported.

"What happened?" the Padawan demanded, resting a hand on the shoulder of the soldier on her right – Blaze, one of her troopers.

"These four were the ones who provided cover fire for you to take down that monster droid, Commander. The nasty thing turned and got 'em before they could take cover," Funnel explained.

"Have they been seen by any sort of medical personnel yet?" she wanted to know. Funnel, Hiss, and their companions (troopers from Kenobi's division she didn't know) shook their heads. She reached out and carefully touched the clone on her left. A scar ran down his forehead, across the bridge of his nose, down hi other cheek, and on under his armor, the result of a Barabel attack back one Barab One. The Padawan dipped into the Force.

_Scratch, my friend, _she called, brushing his mind with hers. She laid her hands on either side of his face. With the physical contact, she could sense each of his many wounds in the Force. _What did you do, Scratch, jump in front of one of your brothers?_

_Yes, why? Is that bad?_ He whispered faintly.

_Yes, Captain, it is. Oh, Scratch, I don't know how much I can do. I'm not a healer like Master Kenobi,_ she told him, biting her lip.

_That's all right, Padawan. I'll be fine._

_That's enough of the brave-injured-clone-trooper attitude out of you, Captain,_ she ordered. Then she plunged deeper into the Force, floating in its power for a moment. She gathered as much of its sweet strength as she could handle. Leilani rose from the well of power to gently pour a bit of the Force into Scratch's laser-torn body. The sheer life power flowed through him, but didn't fix anything. Leilani guided it to his wounds and hesitated. What now? She'd never actually healed anyone before.

_Ah, Padawan Leilani, allow me to guide your actions. Watch carefully, so you can do this on your own._ That was Master Kenobi, his gloved hands resting on her shoulders.

_All right,_ she agreed, letting him take control of the flow of the Force through her fading companion.

_Healing takes a lot out of the Jedi – and healing your friends will take a lot out of me. Once we're done with these four, I'm afraid I may be too tired to help out much for a few days._

_Don't…worry…about healing…us, you're…more important,_ Scratch broke in weakly.

_That's enough of the brave-injured-clone-trooper attitude out of you, Captain,_ Leilani ordered again.

_Yes...Commander._ Knight and Padawan focused on the injured captain then. Kenobi carefully manipulated the Force currents, and Leilani watched. She could sense what he was doing, and knew she'd be able to heal on her own with some practice.

When they had done all they could for Scratch, they moved on to Swoop, then Jet and finally Blaze. All four clones sank into a deep, post-healing sleep as the two Jedi released their hold on the Force.

"I believe I'll find somewhere to rest for a bit," Kenobi said idly. Leilani shrugged and remained where she was beside her soldiers. She was tired, but she hadn't really done much, so she'd be fine after an hour or so of rest.

"I wish we could do more – heal more of the troops," she murmured.

"You should save your strength, Commander," said one of the nearby troopers she didn't know.

"You really shouldn't have even healed these four," agreed another stranger. She glared up at them.

"These men distracted that monster droid when it would have killed me," she snapped. "Spending a little strength to heal them was the least I could do!"

"Will wonders never cease?" remarked the first unknown clone. "A Padawan who values clones and defends them and herself like a lioness!"

"Loads of Jedi values clones; after all, we do most of the fighting," pointed out the second clone sourly.

"Very true, brother Crank and brother Bayonet," agreed a disgustingly cheerful voice.

"You're late, Chipper!" Funnel called from his place beside Blaze's sleeping form. "Padawan Odelia and General Kenobi already did your job for you!"

"Nay, brother Funnel! Tis brother Chipper's job to apply bandages and smile while telling a clone he's done a wonderful job but unfortunately has gotten himself injured or killed in a cheerful manner," protested a third unknown clone, using Chipper's ridiculously happy speech pattern.

"True, true, brother Mocker," agreed Chipper, the 305th's medic. "Alas, that is all I have the opportunity to do as a field medic in this war!"

"Tis not the droids' job, brother Chipper!" disagreed Mocker. "Tis their job to kill us!"

"The clankers we fight aren't medical droids," Funnel pointed out. The first unknown clone – Leilani guessed he was Bayonet – shook his head.

"No, but still – "

"Could you take your banter somewhere else for a while, men?" Leilani asked tiredly. They appeared to finally notice her – although she had been the original topic of conversation.

"Our humblest apologies, Commander," Mocker hurriedly said. "We meant no offense." For a moment, he reminded her of Dent, Commander under her Master in the 305th. The closest the cranky veteran clone came to apologizing was "I meant no offense" in a tone that implied you were stupid to have taken offense.

"None taken, Mocker," Leilani assured him as she often assured Dent. "I'm just tired."

"Well, rest up while you can, Commander. The General's out for a few days," announced an approaching clone commander.

"What? He was fine when he left here!" Funnel protested.

"What happened, Cody?" the Padawan asked.

"We don't know yet, but Chipper, you should head over to the command post. See if you can help out there." Chipper saluted, and then left. The other troopers dispersed.

"Cody, what happened to the General?" Leilani demanded.

"I honestly don't know, Commander. I think he overdid it," Cody replied. "But until he gets up, you're the highest ranking officer on Colla Four." Then Cody saluted, too, before striding off.

"There's a happy thought," the Padawan muttered. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, well, I didn't expect to get the chance to update so quickly, but here I am!**

**Last chapter: Leilani healed and spent some time with the clones while Obi-Wan overused his strength.**

**This chapter: well, read and find out!**

Leilani woke up to a clone gently shaking her shoulder. She sat up and used her palm to dash the remains of sleep from her eyes.

"Commander?" the clone beside her murmured. She recognized Scratch's familiar, scarred face and comforting Force presence.

"You're all right!" she gasped. He grinned, the scar on his face twisting in that odd but achingly familiar way.

"Thanks to you and the General, I hear," he agreed. She got to her feet and put a hand to her lightsaber hilt out of habit.

"It was nothing. The General did all the work – and he might have overdone it," she added ruefully.

"That's what Chipper says," agreed Mocker, who was standing behind Scratch. "Though, when you say that, you make it sound like a bad thing, but Chipper made it sound perfectly okay!"

"That's Chipper for you," Scratch muttered. "He'd make being blown up sound like a dream come true." Leilani had to agree.

"Oh, Commander, Cody wants to talk to you – to plan for when the General wakes up, probably," Mocker explained, changing the subject. The Padawan sighed.

"Right. I'm guessing he's at the command post?" Mocker nodded. "Okay then. Scratch, are you feeling up to tagging along?"

"Always, Commander." Together they headed for the command post.

"What about Jet, Swoop, and Blaze?" the Padawan inquired.

"Good as new. Jet and Swoop are checking their gunships, and Blaze is relaxing with his fellow troopers. I think Cody's planning an attack on the factory," Scratch added.

"Well, getting rid of it _is_ our mission here. I just wish we could wait until the General recovers, but we probably won't be able to."

"Yeah, Chipper said the General's recovery might take longer than we can afford. Another droid could attack at any time," Scratch said, glancing around like he half-expected a second metal menace to appear.

"Exactly," Cody agreed as he fell into step beside them.

"You got a plan?" Leilani asked.

"We still don't know how many of these monsters they have stationed at the factory, since they had too many of them out front for your team to get inside," Cody answered.

_And I need to find out if that dark-side user is gone yet,_ the Padawan thought, but she didn't say it out loud.

"I know the way. I'll take a squad and see if we can't get closer, since we have some idea of how these things work now," she offered instead. Cody nodded.

"Shall I get the troops ready to attack as soon as you return?" he asked.

"Scratch can do that. I thought you'd like to check out the factory," she replied.

"All due respect, Commander Odelia, but I'd rather you had men you're familiar with, men who are used to working with you," Scratch stated. She sighed.

_Translation: men who won't freak out if I have to give orders mind-to-mind,_ she thought.

"I trust you to gather what information we need, Commander," Cody said softly. "And remember, we just need a clanker-count; while you and the General were healing those clones, Static and Download got blueprints for the factory. The demo experts are working out a plan to blow it up as we speak."

"All right. Cody, stay and make sure we're ready to move out as soon as I get back. Scratch, get Hiss, Blaze, and Frost. I want to see the General before we leave," the Padawan ordered. Both officers saluted briefly before hurrying off. Leilani continued on to the command post, where a cot had been set up for Master Kenobi.

"He's still unconscious, Commander," the medic next to him told her. She touched the Jedi's shoulder and examined him through the Force.

"I'm sure he'll be up and about in time to complain about the gunship ride to the cruisers in orbit," she said out loud, releasing Kenobi's shoulder. Then she turned to the medic, who she didn't know. "What's your name?"

"CT-31-"

"You _name_, medic, not your number," Leilani corrected gently. This surprised him, and he hesitated.

"Ah, Stitch, Commander," he answered after a moment.

"You have to stitch up your brothers a lot?" she guessed. The clone allowed himself a grin.

"oh, yes, all the time," he agreed ruefully.

"Well, take care of Master Kenobi – and your injured brothers. Unfortunately, there are going to be a lot more of them for you to stitch up."

"We're ready, Commander," Scratch announced from a few feet away. Leilani took a deep breath.

"Let's go, then," she decided. She surveyed the three troopers with her Captain. Hiss had his helmet on and stood with his arms crossed. Blaze had his blaster rifle slung over one shoulder and his helmet under his other arm. Frost had two laser pistols at his belt, and his helmet in one hand. His hair was dyed white – hence his name. Together they set off into Colla Four's forests.

**So, this chapter, not much happened, but next chapter, Leilani will come face-to-knee-joint with another Annihilator, and have a conversation with a Sith. **

**Please R&R if you liked this chapter!**


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